By Okechukwu Nwanguma
While the nation’s attention remains fixed on high-profile insecurity in the North and high-drama politics in Abuja, a quiet tragedy is unfolding in Umuaka, Imo State — and no one is talking about it. No headlines. No government statement. No official acknowledgement.
Just blood in the streets, smoke in the air, and a terrified population caught in the crossfire.
Over the weekend, residents of Umuaka reported horrifying scenes of violence unleashed by the Nigerian military’s Joint Task Force (JTF). According to multiple eyewitness accounts, the operation began with early morning bombings, followed by a hail of gunfire. By the end of the operation, at least two civilians were confirmed dead, homes were damaged, and fear was deeply entrenched in the hearts of the people.
A source told me:
> “A Military JTF rolled through Umuaka over the weekend, leaving death and destruction. My contacts at home describe early morning bombing and shootings. At least 2 confirmed dead.”
Unlike the notorious killings in Okigwe Zone, which are largely attributed to non-state actors and criminal gangs, the situation in Umuaka bears a more sinister character: the alleged perpetrators are not unknown gunmen — they are the very security forces meant to protect the people.
And yet, there has been no official statement from the Imo State Government or the Nigerian military hierarchy. No explanation. No accountability. No investigation. This silence is not just alarming — it is damning.
It raises painful questions:
Under what legal or operational authority did this military action occur?
Who gave the orders for a bombardment in a civilian area?
What intelligence justified such a heavy-handed response?
Why has no one in government acknowledged — let alone condemned — the deaths of unarmed civilians?
This silence echoes a disturbing pattern in the Southeast, where militarised responses to insecurity often result in indiscriminate violence against the very communities security forces claim to be protecting. In many of these operations, civilians are treated as collateral damage, and anyone not in uniform is assumed to be the enemy.
But state violence is no solution to non-state violence. If anything, it feeds the cycle of fear, alienation, and hostility. Every unlawful killing by a state agent deepens distrust in government, weakens national unity, and emboldens insurgents and opportunistic actors.
The residents of Umuaka deserve answers. They deserve justice. And they deserve protection — not persecution — from their government.
President Tinubu, the Chief of Army Staff, the National Human Rights Commission, and all relevant oversight institutions must urgently investigate the military operation in Umuaka. If any members of the security forces committed unlawful killings or destruction, they must be held accountable. If the government has nothing to hide, then let it speak.
Umuaka is part of Nigeria. Its people are citizens. Their lives are not expendable.
When a government looks away while its agents terrorise innocent people, it loses its moral authority and constitutional legitimacy.
This silence must end.
This impunity must stop.
Mr Okechukwu Nwanguma is a human rights activist and Executive Director, RULAAC.
